Article of jewelry.



J. NEUIVIANN.

W ARTICLE OF JEWEL'PY.

APPucAnoN FILED MAR. a, 1916.

Patented Feb. 20,1917.

.. WASHINGTON. o c.

JOHN 1\T E UMAN I\T 0F CHICA G0, ILLINOIS.

narrow or JEWELRY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. so, rare.

Application filed March 3, 1916. Serial No. 81,794.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN NEUMANN, a citizen of the United States, residing at No. 1412 Kesner Building, Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Articles of Jewelry, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in articles of jewelry and more particularly to the manner of securing fairly delicate gems such for instance as shell pearls in settings.

Heretofore it has been the practice to first separate the shell pearl from the shell and then fit 1t in a. setting in the ordinary way well known to the jewelry trade.

The disadvantage of this construction is that the claws of the setting would be in actual contact with the delicate surface of the pearl and would be apt to injure and scratch the same in time.

iinother disadvantage is that the claws have to be made small, thin, and narrow, owing to the comparatively small size of the setting and consequently are weak and fragile and liable to break or bend thereby releasing or loosening the precious gem.

In my improvement I do not sever the pearl from the shell but instead cut out a portion of the shell itself surrounding the gem thereby providing a flange which can be fitted more securely in a setting and so as to prevent the said setting coming in ac tual cont-act with the gem itself.

The principal objects of my invention are to so secure a pearl in a setting that it will be held therein rigidly and permanently and without any part of the setting touching the gem itself, to completely expose the entire exterior surface of the gem, and to provide an article of jewelry of unusual attractiveness and unique and rarely beautiful appearance. V 7

These and other objects I accomplish as hereinafter set forth in the following description and as particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which an article of jewelry is shown made in my improved way together with views of the shell from which the gem is out.

Figure 1, represents an inner face or side view of a shell having a pearl formed on its surface.

article of a rarely tlnctive character.

Fig. 2, is a section through the shell on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, is a top plan view containing the the shell. s

Fig. l, is a side elevation of a ring with a section through a pearl and its flange and the ring setting to show the manner of setting the gem blank up in a ring.

Fig. '5, is a top plan View of the ring shown in Fig. 4

In referring to the drawings in detail, like numerals designate corresponding parts.

y improved article of jewelry comprises a setting 1, and a gem 2, such as a pearl having an integral flange 3, which is fitted and screwed in the setting.

In preparing the gem it is cut from a shell 4 similar to the shell shown in Figs. 1 and 2, upon a line sufliciently separated therefrom to leave a surrounding flange.

In Fig. 1, I have illustrated by a dotted line about where the shell 4 may be cut but it should be understood that the place of cutting depends upon the form it is desired to secure for the flange.

One of the advantages of cutting the gem with a flange is that the cutting tool or saw is separated from the gem itself and is not liable to mar, scratch or injure the same.

Another advantage is that a fairly-large and wide surface is provided through the formation of a surrounding flange upon which a large and substantial setting can be fitted, thus securing an extremely rigid and nearly non-breakable construction.

Furthermore the gem itself is integral with the flange and in fact'is a homogeneous part of the same so that it is attached thereof the blank pearl and-its flange cut from to in the strongest possible way.

The surrounding flange maintains the gem surface out of actual contact with the setting and insures the complete exposure of the exterior surface of the gem at all points.

As the surface of the flange is in itself beautiful, being finished by nature in the same attractive style as the surface of the V gem it greatly enhances the appearance of the mounting, creating a rich and elegant unique and quaintly dis- The gem which is chiefiyutilized in the present invention is a culture pearl or shell pearl which grows or develops upon the interior of the shell of a mussel or marine bi- 1 a small ball valve, being artificially assisted in its formation by man through the introduction of of suitable material within the mussel.

This ball rests ininterposed position between the body of he mussel and the interior surface of one of its shells, and in time, a translucent'iridescent film forms'upon the ball coating and covering and also integrally uniting the same to the shell surface.

The film constitutes the pearl surface while the hidden ball produces the sphericalor rounded form of the gem.

While I have shown my improvement in connection with a finger ring 5 in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that it may be applied to and is equally adapted for other suitable articles ofjewelry.

The setting 1 of the finger ring is of a I band like form and is provided with a lockplace ing groove on its inner surface in which the marginal edge of the flange 3 of the pearl is fitted, being held in place therein between the upper'and lower inwardly extending flanges of Figs. a and 5.

In this way the flange is clamped and gripped continuously around its margin in the setting between solid metal flanges and is thus secured rigidly and unyieldingly in and held permanently therein against any possibility of loosening; v

l While I have illustrated and described a preferred form of construction for carrying my invention intoefi'ect this is capable of a wide range of variation, alteration, modithe setting as shown in fication or change without departing from I therefore desuch variations, and changes as the spirit of my invention, sire to avail myself of all alterations, modifications Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims or may be construed to be within the same by involving the doctrine of equivalents.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1; A gem comprising a portion only of one of the shells of a bivalve, provided with a pearl integrally and inseparably joined thereto and projecting from the surface of the shell and substantially within its marginal contour, whereby the portion of the shell acts as a base for the pearl and as a means for attachment to an article of jewelry.

2."A gem comprising a portion only of one of the shells of a bivalve provided with a pearl integrally and inseparably joined thereto and projecting from the surface of the shell and substantially within its marginal contour, whereby the portion of the shell acts as a base for the pearl and as a means for attachment to an article of jewelry, in combination with an article of jewelry adapted to receive said gem, and provided for that purpose, with a seat for the gem and means protruding from the seat adapted to clasp the edges of said portion of the shell.

3. A gem comprising a pearl integrally ture.

JOI-IN NEUMANN.

Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. 

